Badger women's rowers make NCAA field
May 19, 2009 | Women's Rowing
MADISON, Wis. ' The Wisconsin women's openweight rowing program earned its fifth bid to the NCAA rowing championships in six years when the 16-team field for the 2009 NCAA Rowing Championships were announced on Tuesday. This year's event takes place May 29-31 on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J.
'It has been our goal all year, not only to make it but to be really competitive there,' said head coach Bebe Bryans. 'You can't be competitive unless you are there, so first task ' check. This was really a great kick in the pants and hopefully they will go and just keep getting better and better.'
Wisconsin enters the championships after placing fifth at the 2009 NCAA Central/South Regional last weekend in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Badgers also placed fourth at the 2009 Big Ten Championships on May 2 in Columbus, Ohio.
Wisconsin hopes to improve on last year's NCAA performance when the squad placed 10th in Gold River, Calif. UW's second varsity eight led the way with a seventh-place finish after winning the petite final. In 2006, the Badgers placed eighth as a team, the school's highest finish to date. At that same 2006 championships, the UW second varsity eight took third, the highest finish for a Wisconsin boat in the five years Wisconsin has reached the championships.
This year's bid marks the fourth for the Badgers in five years under head coach Bebe Bryans. Prior to Bryans' arrival, the Badgers had been to just two NCAA championships in the first eight years of the event. The Badgers first reached the championships in 1999 under head coach Mary Browning two years after the NCAA began sponsoring the sport. The program then qualified in 2004 under interim head coach Sue Ela. Bids in 2005, 2006, 2008 and now 2009 all came under Bryans.
"I think we are the fastest we've been since I've been here and we are extremely competitive," Bryans added. "Everybody is getting faster and it is really exciting to be a part of it. I think we are up there with everybody. It is a real fast year. It is going to be really exciting. Our ultimate goal is to get to the finals, because if you get to the finals, then anything can happen."
Wisconsin will be joined at the 2009 NCAA championships by three other Big Ten schools, including Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. Completing this year's 16-team field is defending NCAA champion Brown, California, Clemson, Dartmouth, Harvard, Oregon State, Princeton, Southern California, Stanford, Virginia, Washington and Yale.
The heats for the 2009 championships were announced with the field this year for the first time, and in seed order. In the varsity eight, Wisconsin will race in heat two against California, Michigan State, Oregon State and Brown. Wisconsin's second varsity eight will race in heat three against Michigan State, Brown, Michigan, Clemson and Dartmouth. Finally, Wisconsin's varsity eight races in heat two against Southern California, Ohio State, Clemson and Oregon State.
'The beauty of this race is that everybody is good,' said Bryans. 'Last weekend, South/Centrals was a really competitive regatta, but of the 22 schools that were in our event, there were probably 13 or 14 that were super competitive. Here, everybody is good. The heats are fair. The heats are tough and we are excited. '
